Buffon: Why I chose Juve
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Gianluigi Buffon has revealed that when he joined Juventus in 2001, the Bianconeri were not his first choice.
The 30-year-old goalkeeper moved from Parma to the Turin giants for over £30 million, making him the most expensive goalkeeper in the world.
Since then he has won two Scudetti (four including the ones revoked after the Calciopoli scandals), two Italian Supercups, and he also helped them to a Champions League final in 2003, which Juve lost on penalties to AC Milan.
"At the time I was at Parma and had to choose between Roma, Barcelona and Juve," Buffon explained to Sky Italia television.
"Initially my great friendship with (Francesco) Totti and Vito Scala made me prefer Roma, where (Fabio) Capello had just arrived and looked set to create a winning era.
"I remember that my agent and my father went to talk with (late Roma president Franco) Sensi, but for economic reasons he took a step back and preferred to buy (Ivan) Pelizzoli, paying less, but at the time he was a promising young keeper.
"I had also been in advanced talks with Barcelona, but at that moment when my agent was in Spain to close the deal, (Luciano) Moggi called and the Agnelli family stepped in.
"I really wanted to win the Scudetto and my father told me Juve hadn’t won it in five years, so they were bound to win it within the next two years.
"In the end I followed his advice and it proved to be a great choice."
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| Gianluigi Buffon had initially preferred Roma and Barcelona before opting to join Juventus Photo: Getty Images |
The 30-year-old goalkeeper moved from Parma to the Turin giants for over £30 million, making him the most expensive goalkeeper in the world.
Since then he has won two Scudetti (four including the ones revoked after the Calciopoli scandals), two Italian Supercups, and he also helped them to a Champions League final in 2003, which Juve lost on penalties to AC Milan.
"At the time I was at Parma and had to choose between Roma, Barcelona and Juve," Buffon explained to Sky Italia television.
"Initially my great friendship with (Francesco) Totti and Vito Scala made me prefer Roma, where (Fabio) Capello had just arrived and looked set to create a winning era.
"I remember that my agent and my father went to talk with (late Roma president Franco) Sensi, but for economic reasons he took a step back and preferred to buy (Ivan) Pelizzoli, paying less, but at the time he was a promising young keeper.
"I had also been in advanced talks with Barcelona, but at that moment when my agent was in Spain to close the deal, (Luciano) Moggi called and the Agnelli family stepped in.
"I really wanted to win the Scudetto and my father told me Juve hadn’t won it in five years, so they were bound to win it within the next two years.
"In the end I followed his advice and it proved to be a great choice."
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